Corinna lies at the southern end of the Tarkine and provides an accessible starting point to connect with the many elements of the wilderness. Within the Tarkine, and immediately north of Corinna, is the Arthur Pieman Conservation Area, containing significant aboriginal cultural heritage, highly diverse ecosystems, spectacular coastal landscapes and breathtaking wilderness areas.

The Tarkine covers 450,000 hectares and is bounded by the coast to the west, the Arthur River to the north, the Pieman River to the south, and the Murchison Highway to the east.

The Tarkine can be entered from several points, with the most common being via the Western Explorer from the north west, Corinna in the south, Waratah in the east and Wynyard from the north-east. Wynyard has an interstate airport and sealed road access into the Tarkine.

While predominately known as the largest temperate rainforest in Australia, the Tarkine is a mix of rainforest, wet and dry eucalypt forest, mixed forest, heathland, moorland, buttongrass plains, complex river systems and wild, sandy coastlines.

Significantly, it has a high diversity of non-vascular plants (mosses, liverworts and lichens) including at least 151 species of liverworts and 92 species of mosses. Its range of vertebrate fauna include 28 terrestrial mammals, 111 land and freshwater birds, 11 reptiles, 8 frogs and 13 freshwater fish. According to the Government of Tasmania, the Tarkine provides habitat for over 60 rare, threatened and endangered species of flora and fauna. Further information can be found on the website of the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment under the 'conservation' tab.

Cool temperate rainforest is different to the warmer climate rainforest, which is dominated by much larger varieties of animal and bird life, as well as a multitude of tree and plant species. By comparison, Tasmania’s rainforests contain only a few dominant tree species, which include Leatherwood, Celery Top Pine, Sassafras, King Billy Pine, Huon Pine, Myrtle Beech, Pencil Pine, Native Laurel, Soft Tree Fern, Slender Tree Fern, Blackwood, Cutting Grass, Native Plum, Whitey Wood and the commonly named, “Horizontal”. Some eucalypt species like the Mountain Ash, will grow in rainforest conditions. An understory of ferns, mosses, liverworts and fungi form an important part of the rainforest habitat and ecosystem.

There are a few mammals and birds in the cool temperate rainforest of the Tarkine, but the cool damp conditions make an ideal environment for a multitude of invertebrate species. Freshwater Crayfish, Burrowing Yabbies, large Land Snails and Walking Worms can be seen in the temperate rainforest of the southern Tarkine. Mammals such as Brushtail Possums, Bennett’s Wallabies, Wombats, Tasmanian Devils, Spotted-Tail Quolls and Broad-Footed Marsupial Mice can be found fossicking for food. The lawns at Corinna come alive with Pademelon's at dusk. Reptiles and amphibians such as the Tiger Snake, Metallic Skink and Tasmanian Tree Frog can also be found. Platypus can be found in the Pieman River and its tributaries, though they are rarely seen.